When Your Ball Python Won’t Eat

This is one of the most common emails I get from worried snake keepers. I think there are two reasons for this. The first reason is that ball pythons, when compared to other pet snakes like corns and kings, are a bit more finicky when it comes to eating.

The second reason I get this question a lot is because there’s a lot of misinformation out there on the subject. For example, one snake keeper will have a bad experience with a ball python that won’t eat — possibly because the snake wasn’t kept under the right conditions — and then they’ll make some general statement like: “Ball pythons are hard to care for because they don’t eat in captivity.” These kinds of general assumptions have a way of spreading like wildfire across the Internet.

Let me offer a contrary view. I currently keep several ball pythons, a few colubrid species, and a rainbow boa. And while the ball pythons tend to be a little less predictable with their eating habits, they do eat on a more-or-less regular basis.

Here’s what it all comes down to. When kept under the right conditions, a healthy ball python that occasionally refuses a meal will eventually eat a subsequent meal at a later date. Notice the two key parts of that last statement. You must have a healthy snake to begin with, and you must keep it under the proper conditions. When you have these two things going for you, the snake will eat eventually. You might have to go through some trial and error first (which we will discuss below), but a healthy snake will eventually eat for you.

Note: Brandon’s new e-book on ball python care is now available! It offers more than 100 pages of tips and advice, including a whole chapter with feeding tips like this. Check it out.

That’s Gretchen in the picture below. She’s one of my female ball pythons, and she is probably the most finicky eater of the bunch. But as you can tell from the photo, she is in perfect health. Sure, there are times when she won’t eat no matter what I do. But as long as she’s healthy, I’ve learned not to sweat it anymore.

Of course, you have to provide the right conditions for them, and this is where many keepers wander astray. Ball pythons like warmth and dark. They like to hide during the day and come out at night for food. If you have a healthy specimen, and you can duplicate these ideal conditions, your ball python will eat on a fairly regular basis.

But what about those times when the snake simply won’t eat — no matter what you do. Well, for these scenarios, I’ve created some new guides. The first is a collection of ball python feeding tips that I’ve posted to the main website. The other is the troubleshooting matrix posted below. I recommend starting with the feeding article on the main site, and then saving the troubleshooting table below for future reference. I hope you find them useful.

Tips for a Ball Python That Won’t Eat

Different snake keepers have different opinions on what to do when a ball python won’t eat. So the troubleshooting steps below are not the only way to handle it — these are just the steps I recommend, based on my own experience with these snakes.

Note: Before going through these troubleshooting steps, consider the fact that ball pythons will sometimes fast through the winter. Not all of them do this, but some do. I have one that typically refuses meals for about two months out of the year, while the others basically eat year-round. Something to keep in mind!

Offer a frozen / thawed rat of appropriate size. Offer the meal after sunset, when the snake is more inclined to eat (ball pythons are nocturnal). If it does not eat, proceed to the next step.

Step 2

Double-check the snake’s environment to make sure everything is ideal. Start with the temperatures. Give your ball python a warm / basking area of around 90 degrees, with the rest of the cage about 76 or 80 degrees.

Step 3

Leave the snake alone for one week, and then offer another frozen / thawed rodent. Try using feeding tongs to wiggle the rodent in front of the ball python. Make sure the food item is warm (these snakes have heat-sensing pits along their jaw line).

Step 4

If the ball python still won’t eat you should triple-check its environment. Does it have a place to hide within the cage? This is important. Check those temps again. Make sure the snake is not in shed, as they will generally refuse food at such times.

Step 5

Wait a week and offer another meal, but this time offer a freshly killed rodent (as opposed to frozen / thawed). Try using the tongs. Few ball pythons can resist a fresh and warm rodent that shows signs of “life.” If the snake won’t eat the rodent, leave it in the cage overnight and then check in the morning. You might find it gone!

Step 6

If after all of this your ball python still won’t eat, you may want to scent the mouse or rat with gerbil litter (from a cage that contains live gerbils). Your local pet store is bound to have gerbils. Ask them for some of the used / soiled gerbil litter, and explain why you need it. Ball pythons love gerbils, but you don’t want to get them “hooked” on gerbils. So try scenting a thawed or fresh rat with gerbil litter.

Step 7

Do you own a small scale with which you can weigh your ball python? If not, it’s a wise purchase to make. These snakes can fast for a long time with no harm at all, but the main concern is that they’re not losing too much weight. I had a ball python fast for three months one time, but it’s weight hardly changed at all, so I wasn’t worried. I just kept trying, and she eventually came around.

Step 8

Just to rule out the possibility of any health problems, you may want to make a visit to your local vet. Try to find one who has experience working with snakes.

Step 9

Keep in mind that ball pythons will often fast during the winter, even when kept in heated cages. So if your snake still won’t eat after the steps above, just be patient but persistent. Continue to offer a meal about every two weeks. Try offering smaller rodents.

Step 10

If your snake is still refusing meals, it might be time to offer a live rodent. This should be your last resort, and you will have to supervise the process. Never leave a live rodent in a snake’s cage unattended. The rodent can turn the tables and attack the ball python … especially rats, which can be quite aggressive. If the ball python won’t eat the live prey item, you’ll have to remove the rodent for safety reasons.

You can also download this chart as an Acrobat PDF file if you want. Click here to download the PDF.

my name is mary. me and my boyfriend just rescued a ball python from the michigan humane society. her name is lucy someone had abandoned her in october outside an apartment complex, tank and all (dont worry they were caught) we have had her for about 2 months now and everything was going fine. she sees her vet at least once every week. well we feed her once every 2 weeks. we dont want her to get to big, she is already 3 1/2 ft weighing 1.8 pounds at the age of 2 1/2 yrs old. she just shed for the first time with us and it went very well. i went to a local pet store where the owner breeds bps, he said we should feed her rats so i bought a rat and she wont eat it, i baught a mouse she wouldn’t eat that. I’m desperate, she hasn’t eaten for 4 weeks and like i said this is my first snake and she seems healthy but that’s a long time for her. she always eats good. i do feed her live mice i feel that keeps them somewhat close to there natural doings. my question or questions to you are:

– a snake this size what should she be eating? mice, baby rats, or rats?

– should i feed her live mice/rats? i know its dangerous but she was doing it for the first year of her life (she was imported)

– i have a live plant in her tank and 3 fake plants, i use cocunt husk substrate, i have a under tank heater, i use a dog bowl for her water, and a big piece of driftwood and jungle vein. that seems ok? i also gather lots of moss in her favorite corner for her to go under as a hide spot since i cant find anything big enough for her to go under.

i’m just new to this and i am really scared we are doing something wrong. please help me. i plan on a long happy life with our lucy. she is amazing. she looks identical to gretchen thank you

A snake that size will do fine on a diet of rats. A medium-sized adult rat once every 10 days or so is sufficient. A mouse every 14 days is bordering on the side of under-feeding. A ball python can survive on that, but I would recommend an adult rat instead (which is about twice the size and density of a mouse).

Whether you feed live or frozen / thawed rodents will depend on (A) your preferences and (B) what the snake will or won’t accept. I have a ball python that eats frozen / thawed rats on a regular basis, and I have another that will only eat freshly killed rats that have never been frozen. I always prefer f/t rodents for the sake of simplicity, but my ball pythons have their own preferences. As long as they eat, I’m happy.

Your cage setup sounds okay. Just keep track of how the snake sheds. The coconut bedding tends to dry snakes out. If the ball python has trouble shedding on a regular basis, you might try a different substrate. You can also put the water bowl over the under-tank heater to elevate the humidity — but you only need to do this if the snake has trouble shedding. Keep drinking water available at all times too.

I have an idea for a hide you might want to consider. You know those plastic trays that you can put potted plants on? I believe they’re called spill trays. They usually come in a terra cotta orange color. I buy those at Home Depot, and they make excellent hides. You can get them in various sizes and they’re easy to clean.

We have a ball python that is almost a year old. We bought him when he was little. We’ve never had any problems with him feeding. He went from eating little jumper mice and until two months ago, he was eating rats. Like I said, we never had any problems and we would feed him every weekend until one day he went to strike the rat and he accidentally bit himself. I’m sure that hurt him and it seemed he was scared of the rat after that because he would just go into a ball and act scared when the rat would go near him. He did manage to strike and kill the rat after all and he did eat it but he hasn’t wanted to eat anymore. That was a little over 2 1/2 months ago. We’ve offered him rats, gerbils and have even gone down to jumper mice again but he still refuses to eat. He acts like he’s afraid of them. Is it possible that he is traumatized from biting himself and he thinks that the bite came from the first rat and now he’s refusing to eat? He still acts like he’s hungry during the evening because he raised his head to the top of his cage but he just won’t eat when we feed him. Help…What can we do?

It’s hard to say what is going on inside the snake’s little brain. So all you can do is experiment with other feeding techniques. It’s also possible that your snake is going off food because of seasonal changes. I have some ball pythons that eat through the winter, and others that have a reduced appetite during those months — even though they’re all kept in the same temperature controlled room.

Have you tried to offer a freshly killed rodent, using tongs? Maybe you can coax the snake into striking a dead rodent from tongs. If the snake acts like it’s afraid of the rodents, this might be a logical next step.

Have you changed anything with the snake’s environment? I transferred a ball python from a drawer-style cage to an open terrarium once, and it stopped eating completely. After two months of refused meals, I put him back in the drawer cage and he resumed eating right away. Just brainstorming here.

Do you have frozen rodents? Maybe try thawing a rat and leaving it in the cage overnight. That’s how I feed a couple of my ball pythons.

And if you haven’t done so already, scroll back up the page a little ways and download the PDF file for the troubleshooting chart I made. Look for the Acrobat PDF icon and the link beside it. Hope that helps. Good luck.

I just bought a python 4 days ago. He is 20 inches long in a 10 gallon tank i hope to upgrade to a 40 or 50 gallon in less than 2 monthes. He has a hide log, a hide set of stairs in the corner with a fake plant over the back, and a tupperware waterdish. The temperature and lighting is good as well. The top of his head looks slightly milky in the light and im wondering if thats a sign of sickness or molting?

From what ive read so far it seems normal for bps to fast for weeks at a time, nonetheless i am a little concerned. I tried feeding him a f/t fuzzy yesterday and he refused, then i tried again this evening and he refused again. His regular feeding day was supposed to be yesterday. Should I just sit tight and hope he eats within a week and assume hes not eating because of the stress of moving, or should I try force feeding him? I am reluctant to buy a live mouse because I have no where to keep it and the man i bought him off of said he fed it f/t mice before.

I heard giving your snake a warm bath will help stimulate appetite. is that true? How long should i keep him in a 10 gallon, will he grow out of it quickly?

What you’re seeing when you look at the top of the head is probably just a reflection of the light, or a slight iridescence from the snake’s scales. Or it could be the first signs of a shed. You’ll know in a few days.

There is no need to force feed your snake at this point, if ever. If the snake has eaten in the last month or so, just give it a bit more time to settle in, and try another meal. Snakes eat on their own schedule — not yours. So you’ll quickly realize that a “regular feeding day” doesn’t always work out.

I don’t think a warm bath is going to help. The snake will eat when it’s ready, as long as its environment is set up properly.

I know you’re concerned, and that’s a good thing. It’s great to hear you care so much about your snake. The best you can do at this point is give it at least another week to adjust to its new surroundings, and make sure it has proper temperatures. Temps are very important with all snakes, but especially with ball pythons.

Your snake will outgrow a 10-gallon terrarium soon. You might want to invest in a cage that’s about 4′ wide. I recommend the Vision cages, because they last forever. Even if you have to save up for one, it’s worth it.

I’ve had my python for over 3 months now and it hasn’t ate once. Before I bought my pt the owner of the shop said it had its meal 3 days previous to the buying day and that I should allow my pt to adjust to my tank for about a week and try once again. So I did and it hasn’t ate, I tried a live mice and even a dead one and then jumped to a frozen one and nothing. Habitat is good temp is ok what can it b? It’s skin looks preety dry and I found a bit of sheded skin around the mouth area can it b it’s going to beging it’s process. And also I was just given a baby pt is it ok to keep in the same tank? Please help. Thank you

Just wanted to share this feeding tip I got from a friend, but first, I bought the python about a month ago from a local Petco (I hear that’s a bad choice). When I chose her from the bunch I asked when they were last fed but Petco had no idea, so I assumed she hadn’t eaten yet. But for the following 3 1/2 weeks she wouldn’t eat. Then my friend told me to find an empty shoe box and place a freshly pre-killed mouse inside then the ball and then to put the box in a dark warm room for 45 mins.
So i poked some holes in the lid put them both into the box and placed it in my closet, came back 45mins later and there she was poking her head with a mouse in gullet.

hi i have a B.P that is about 3 or 4 years old. I was given the snake in march 2008 by a mother, whose child was not responsible enough to give it the right care… not old enough.. when i first got him he was eating good about once every ten days. he then stopped eating and showed signs of a respiratory infection. I was given an antibiotic by a vet and i gave him a shot every 24h for 7 days. He then started to eat again. while he was sick his weight was 750g. When he started to eat again, July to october he went from 900 to 1500g.he is about 3.5 feet at this point. He stopped eating again in december. i didn’t think much of it based on what i had read. a couple months went by and i started to worry. i checked his weight and he was then down to 1100g. it has now been another month and he is down to 1050g. i have tried a few different methods of getting him to eat but all fails. every morning he comes out of his hiding place and moves around the cage, seems like he is trying to escape. i have checked his habitat regularily. He apears to be healthy for the most part except he is getting a little dehydrated now i think,because he is starting to show a bit of folds in the skin… i live far away from the closest vet and money is very tight at the moment…if i have to take him i will…i don’t want to lose my pet Kane…
if you could give me any advise and let me know what you think of the situation i would GREATLY APPRECIATE IT…

If the snake is healthy, and you’re keeping it in the proper conditions, it will eat eventually. If it had a respiratory infection in the past, that could be a sign that the snake’s environment needs to be improved. The number-one cause for respiratory infection in snakes is improper housing, heating, etc. So make sure the cage is kept clean, dry, and at the proper temperatures. Aside from that, the only advice I’m able to give you is the same advice that’s posted above. Good luck.

i had my ball python outside in a huge cage, it made of wood frame, metalic fance with alot of hole in it, it has a real plant inside to maintain, the humidity, and a cave where he hides, i live in miami. do you think that its a good enviroment out side, or its better inside

Juan – If I were you, I would keep the snake inside. If it escapes your outdoor cage, it will be gone. Escaped pets are the reason there are so many non-native species in Florida these days. Do a Google search for “pythons in Florida” and you’ll see what I mean. Pet snakes should be kept in 100% secure cages, ideally inside a house where they cannot escape into the wild.

Hi, I’ve been reading alot abou bp’s that won’t eat. I have a two year old bp that I purchased about two months ago that has not eaten since I bought her. This is my first snake and I am worried and embarassed, everyone that visits thinks she is sick. She recently shed and looks amazing so I believe she is heathly. It has been about three weeks since she shed and she still is not eating, I have only offered live feeders as instructed when she was purchased. Do you think I should try frozen/thawed? Also I have a heating lamp over the cage that I keep on at all times. Do you think I should try the frozen feed with the heater lamp off? Please advise.

Dear Brandon,
I am really worried, because I am responsible for my sons BP while he is out of state for the summer to visit his father.
We have had his snake since January. He has eaten live mice and now small rats. He eats them alive. This was the recommendation of the respected pet store I made the purchase. He has always eaten about every 10 days.
Now I can’t get him to eat. I have read a lot on your site and it sounds like this could be normal. I am just so afraid to have something happen to the snake while he is gone, or anytime for that matter.
What should I do? I am not certain what other information you need I just really need help.

Aside from those two pages, I don’t know what else to tell you. Without seeing the situation in person, there’s not much advice I can offer.

You might want to double-check the temperatures inside the cage. If it’s too cool, the snakes won’t eat.

Keep in mind also that a perfectly healthy ball python will sometimes refuse a meal — for no apparent reason.

Lastly, I would use caution when offering live rodents to a snake. Be sure you keep a close eye on it. Don’t even leave a live rodent in a snake’s cage without supervision. Rats and mice can cause serious harm to a ball python by biting it. Do a Google image search for “ball python killed by rat” and you’ll see what I mean. Good luck.

hey. i got a baby ball python a month ago tomorrow. he is really small, like 20 in. but i cant get him to eat. everything seems fine in is cage, heat, temp, its all normal. im startin to worry. i am trying frozen pinkies right now and they are about the same size as his head, if not bigger. why wont he eat???

Hi Shelby. I really can’t say why the snake is not eating, because it could be any number of things. You might want to try a freshly killed mouse or a live pinkie mouse. I would talk to the person you bought the snake from — what and how were they feeding it?

hi brandon. the person i bought the snake from said it hadnt eatin yet. it was only like a month old when she gave it to me. my snake stays in a 20 gal. tank. but i feed him (or try and feed him) im a 10 gal. the tank sits on a heater and ive tried fuzzies and ppinkies. ive tried dipping the pinkie in chicken broth and poking holes in it so it bleeds. ill cover the tank to make it dark and leave the room for and hour, if not longer. but the snake does not seem to be losing weight. but today im planning to go to petsmart and by a mouse or a prekilled mouse. do i have to kill it?

Brandon,
I’ve had my ball python for a little over a year, so she’s prolly a 1 1/2 old. I baby her like crazy; always taking her out to explore, making sure she’s on a good feeding schedule, cleaning her cage every couple months, etc. She’s a decent size for how old she is because I started feeding her mice when she was younger (she refused frozen), and now I have her on baby rats. But, ever since the beginning of June she hasn’t ate! I’ve tempted about 4 or 5 times since then with baby rats, black mice, white mice but she just ignores it completely and want to get out of the box (I feed her in a seperate container). So what do I do?
-Mariah :]

Ball pythons will do that. One of mine stopped eating for almost four months, even though her environment remained the same as always. She eventually started eating again. You might want to try a freshly killed gerbil — that works about 99% of the time. It’s like crack for ball pythons.

Ninety grams is just a baby, so you can probably stick with hoppers for now. Of course, one person’s hopper is another person’s “small adult.” Rodent breeders have different standards for that sort of thing. So it’s best to use size instead of labels. You should offer your ball python rodents that are about the same width / diameter as the snakes mid-body area, or slightly larger. How do your hoppers compare to the thickest part of the snake? Are they about the same width? If so, you’re doing fine.

I have a 1225g female ball python who has stopped eating over the past 2 months and whose weight initially dropped in the first 3 weeks (by ~90g) but has since then stayed the same. She’s been for a check up (no fecal could be done) and vet says shes a good weight, no respiratory problems or sluggish (healthy). She’s alert when out but chooses to stay in her cooler hide and doesn’t move much or ‘hunt’ or even have her head poking out of her hide at night. The light levels and hours have dropped a lot over this time and I think she’s acting as if its breeding season. She was a rescue and its the first time she’s done this with me. What do I do with her when shes like this?

1) Do I get a lamp and get her to eat again? If so what type of lamp (shes in a rubbermaid style thing)
2) Do I give her regular baths to keep her hydrated? She doesn’t seem dehydrated I just don’t ever see her come out to use the bowl.
3) Anything else? should I offer her food?

I don’t know what you mean by a lamp. Are you talking about a heat lamp? The most important thing is that your ball python has sufficient temperatures on the warmer side (and throughout the rest of the cage, for that matter). These snakes will fast if their habitat conditions are not right. You don’t need to give the snakes baths. If the cage is too dry and the snake has trouble shedding, you should address the habitat problem. You can put a humidity retreat in the cage or use a moist substrate such as cypress mulch. Sometimes these snakes just stop eating. That’s something every ball python owner deals with sooner or later.

hey my name is dj the snake i have she will not eat anything other then a live rat and but she has not eaten in about a month i know its winter and i know they will fast during the winter but she has not lost alot a wieght but she is loseing some she just last week started shedding and now she is done but still she will not eat would it be a bad thing if i got her a gerbil or two she is about two feet long and about a year and two months old i dont want anything bad to happen to her plz if you know any thing i can do to preswad here to eat

Hey DJ. You could try offering a gerbil. You just have to be extremely careful when putting a live rat or gerbil into the cage, because they can easily turn the tables on a snake that ignores them. Ball pythons have been killed by rodent bites. It happens all the time, sadly.

As you can see by the comments posted above, this is a pretty common scenario. It’s just one of the frustrations a ball python keeper has to accept. I know that doesn’t make you feel any better, but that’s just the way it is. If it’s any consolation, I once had a ball python that stopped eating for three months. The habitat was perfect, the snake was healthy, and everything else was as it should be. The snake just stopped eating. I eventually offered a freshly killed gerbil, and it snatched it right up. The only risk with this strategy is that the snake could decide it ONLY wants gerbils from now on.

Heyy,
Im only 12 years old and i just got a Ball Python a couple weeks ago…i have not ever had any experience w/ snakes soo i did some research…Soo my snake was eating fine but now he has skipped two meals..when i first got him the tmperatures were very wrong in the cage soo he was freezing and ended up getting Respiratory problems….ever since he had that he has skipped two meals i am very worried about him….And he has a hinge of pink under him and im not suree if i should worry bout that or not…One more thing…The whole time i have had him he has never shed and right now his eyes are getting really cloudy..im not suree if thats him about to shed or if thats part of his Respiratory problem…What should i do???? plzz aanswer my questions thank you

Hi Breanna. Was the respiratory illness (RI) taken care of completely? I only ask because they can be stubborn conditions to treat. How long have you had him? In other words, how long has he been away from those terrible conditions you’ve described?

The cloudy eyes mean the snake is going into shed. At this point, there’s nothing you can do but ensure it has proper conditions for shedding. Make sure it has fresh drinking water. Make sure it has somewhere dark and private to hide. Make sure the ambient / background humidity in the ball python’s cage is at a decent level, at least 60%.

Sometimes ball pythons stop eating for no apparent reason. Sometimes they do it in response to a seasonal / breeding cue that we humans simply cannot see or detect. Sometimes they do it because of an illness, or because their cage conditions are not ideal. You only have control over the last two items on this list.

hey i just bought 2 fire ball pythons and the were in shed when i bought them and it went well its just when one it ate but when i fed the other one it didn’t it was scared or something cause it been like 2 week and i fed the other one it ate perfectly and the other one didn’t again idk what to do and there health but its weird anyone here to help

Hey Ronald. Have you been through all of the 10 steps listed in the article above? Give them a chance to settle in to their new environment. Make sure the temperatures in the cage are correct. Give them a place to hide. Are you keeping them in the same enclosure all the time? If so, you’ll always have feeding problems.

Hi, I have a young spider ball that I have had for about 4 months. She’s been eating 1 or 2 f/t weanling mice once a week, and she just stopped about three weeks ago. I haven’t checked her weight in a bit but I’m going to go do that now. I wouldn’t be worried, but she is very young and very small, and I have had a sick ball python die when I first starte carrying for snakes, although she never ate. So I’m a little worried…

I’ve have my ball python for about a year and a half now and wen I first got him he would eat a medium size rat about every 3-4 weeks. I had a under-tank heat pad for him but he ended up getting a bad thermal burn on his belly from it. While he had the burn he would not eat and went for about 6-7 months without eating then he started to again. That was about 1 year ago and now he wont eat at all again. He has a big water dish so he can fit in it to soak, cage carpet and a heat lamp in his cage. I use a half log thats hollowed for him to hide in but starting about 4 months ago he just stopped eating. Then he began to hide in his log 24/7 and wouldn’t even come out at night so I removed it and he began digging his way under his cage carpet and would stay in the same spot for weeks. Our summer did start off weird, it was warm for a day or two then would be cold for several days then would warm back up. That is about the time he stopped eating and moving around. I’ve tried giving his small rats and switching up the times we would try feeding him but still nothing. I usually feed him in the bathtub but I have been trying to keep the last rat we bought that he wont eat in the box then in a tub and it keeps getting out so I put it in with him and he still has no interest. When placed in the tub with it he would act like he wanted to smell it but then it would move its head or something and he would act scarred.
Is there anything you could suggest to try or maybe a answer to whats going on with him?
Cody

My ball python is around 8 mos and she eats really well. I usually feed her a live small rat every week and sometimes twice a week but if I wait until twice a week she acts like she is ready to attack my hand. As soon as I take my python out of the tank and into her tub to eat, she strikes at the rats seconds later. That is why I would rather feed her once a week or right after she defecates. I never feed her in the tank. I do not want her to think my hand is food when I reach in to grab her since I do not have tongs. I have never used tongs on her. She is so docile and has only hissed once at me and coiled up but that is when she was sleeping and I startled her.
How old should my python be before I think about breeding her? I want to get a male python next, possible a blue eyed lucistic or coral morph. There are so many to chose from. I may just settle with a less expensive albino. At any rate, the new morph patterns are amazing but too expensive for me. I like my regular ball python’s pattern right after shed. She is so sleek and healthy.
I keep my python in a 20 gal tank on newspaper and I bought some cotton rope and suctions cups. I made nautical knots and looped the rope via suction cups from one end of the tank to another. My python loves climbing on those ropes or just hanging out during the late hours under the blue light. It is so serene and peaceful watching her at night. Also, ceramic, round dog bowls make perfect water bowls for pythons to drink from and soak in. I clean my bowl out every other day.
I have heard some people will feed royals those baby chicks. What do you think? I prefer only rats but I am open to other suggestions.

Most breeders use body weight as an indicator of when a snake is ready for breeding, as opposed to age. As a general rule, ball pythons are ready for breeding at around 1.5 years for males, and 3 years for females. But this is not a hard and fast rule. These snakes can live long, healthy lives on a steady diet of rats.

Cody — How long has your snake been fasting, and how old is it right now? What are the temperatures at ground level inside the cage? Can your snake hide entirely inside the half log, or is it partly exposed?

I have a Baby Ball Python, Bought at a reptile Expo 2 weeks ago, All Conditions in his cage are correct. I have now tried to feed him 4 live Pinkies on seperate Occasions, However all he does is back away. I have also killed one and left in his feeding dish overnite, However he did not eat that as well.

What more can I do , My little Daughter loves him and I have kept him unhandled for last 3 days, but he still wont eat?

Hi! my boyfriend and i have a Ball Python that is about 4 or 5 years old,he had her before we got together and has always fed her live rats for as long as he has had her. well,5 months ago when we were feeding her the rat bit her on the mouth and she hasn’t eaten since. we’ve been offering her food a few times a month and have killed the rats we give her before we put them in the tank but she refuses to eat anything,we’ve tried smalled rats but she still wont eat. i’m starting to get worried about her not eating. what should i do? thanks in advance!

Okay, I have a 2 year old male ball python. He is 4 1/2 foot long and around 4 inches think. The last time he ate I believe was either December or November of last year, so 4 to 5 months. He has never done this before. I usually feed him either the largest medium or the smallest large rat once a month. I’ve put him back on frozen rats because he got bit once but nothing bad, but we don’t want to take that chance again. Well I have tried anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 weeks on frozen thawed and he had absolutely no interest what so ever. So we got frustrated and said maybe he doesn’t want dead maybe he wants live, so we went to go buy a live rat. Well we put the rat in his eating container and put him in it. He struck at it in defense and still wanted nothing to do with it. We tried to feed him again on Friday and I was told since he hasn’t eaten for a while to start back on small mice like he had when he was a baby and he yet again still had to interest what so ever. He is still at a very healthy weight, he is very active at night. He still is drinking his water and he just shed a full shed about a month ago. I just trying to find some answers out in why he isn’t eating. If someone could help me that would be awesome. Also to add in there his temps are at day around 85 to 90 and night 70 to 75 and humidity is between 40 to 70 but usually stays at 50. He has two climbing trees and a big water dish to lay in if he wants and a big hiding place.

I spent over a year studying reptiles and knowing exactly why a snake won’t eat is actually more beneficial than comparing it to snakes that don’t even come from the same part of the world.It’s also very helpful to know exactly how the animal behaves in the wild in order to mimic those conditions; after all that’s what reptile owners are attempting to do.
A Ball Python in it’s African environment feeds on small reptiles for the majority of it’s life.So it’s very understandable why a lot of them would refuse a mouse.
Now here’s where the real important part comes in; there is a way to trick your Ball Python into eating a rodent. Now before you say I’m crazy I can vouch that I’ve had tons of successful feedings accomplished by this one simple step.
Grab the rodent and rub it on a lizard or frog; this gets the scent of a reptile (the Ball Pythons favorite food) on the rodent. The snake then assumes that the rodent is a reptile and eats it.
The funny thing is that I’ve performed this act in front of customers, all while they watched in amusement like I was wasting there time. Only for them to go home and watch their snake eat the same mouse that they tried to feed to it earlier. I’ve had customers call and thank me for this because it actually works. Of course there are some that will not eat and starve themselves, but the majority of snakes that I’ve used this method on were successful and ate.

Hi, I have a few questions about my ball python. he is about 3 ft long, and two in thick and he hasn’t been eating. not for about 3 months. I tried to assist feed him but he simply refuses to keep it down. he also wont even bite into it. im also conserned about his breathing. he constantly has his mouth open to breath. I have to put his face neer his water bowl for him to drink or else he wont drink at all. he hardly moves around his cage and he is always cold even when I put him directly under his heating light. im really conserned he has a bad lung infection. if some one can help me out that would be awesome! thanks

My ball python is about a year old. I was feeding her about every 8 or 10 days. Now she wont eat. One of her eyes look like she is getting ready to shed (she sheds about once a month). Its been about 3 weeks since she ate. I tried to feed her yesterday. What should I do?

hey, i have a female bp about 2 yrs old. she was fed a large rat before I got her from a breeder. i went to there house they were very clean people and knew what they were doing. I own many snakes but ella is very picky. she hasnt ate in almost 2 months, i even offer her smaller rat to see if that was the issue still wont eat totally ignores it, is she ok?

my ball wont eat after his last shedding but one eye has still not shed an its been awhile he comes out a goes around his cage doesnt mind me holding him jst acts like he cant see out the eye what can i do ??

Hey, I have a one year old male ball python, He weighs a little under 1000 grams, and has not eaten sense thanksgiving. Well regularly anyways. He did eat a big small rat about 3 weeks ago after a shed, but nothing scene then, And he has always taken a meal. He roams his tank a lot, morning and night. sometimes i feel like he never sleeps. His temps and humidity are perfect, so i really have no clue what the problem is. I’ve tried rats and mice. Someone has told me they tend to hit a ‘no feed’ wall when they get to a certain weight, and that because of the time of the year that could be why he isn’t eating. Just wanted to get another opinion.

My Spider Ball Python has a upper respiratory affection. Ozzy has been to the vet. He is 5 years old. He was also inbreed so that make him a bit special. Okay is also under weight. where I got him from weren’t feeding him enough food. My vet wants me to get him eating but since he is sick I didn’t buy him rats didn’t want the rats to go after him or hurt him since he isn’t him self right now. I brought him six mice since there easier for him to kill and eat. I need to get Ozzy to eat ASP. He’s very weak from his meds that he is on but he also needs to eat.

My ball hasn’t ate in over six weeks. I have offered frozen mice. And live mice. He snaps at everything, but the live mice. His tank is appropriate. He has a log to fully hide under and a rock water bowl he likes to fully submerge himself in. I’ll wave my hand in front of his tank and he’ll snap. A live mouse moseys on in front of him and he shows no interest. I’m beginning to think my ball python is a vegetarian!! Lol should I be concerned at this point?

If your ball python is otherwise healthy, and the habitat is good to go, you probably don’t have anything to worry about at this point. Sometimes these snakes will go into a seasonal fast in the winter months, even if the cage temperatures are consistent all year long. The days get shorter, and that can cause meal refusal in some snakes (especially in females).

Have you tried frozen / thawed rats? Have you tried gently “waving” a f/t rodent on the end of some feeding tongs, since your snake response to waving motion? Just some ideas.

Check out the PDF document higher up on this page (up above the steps 1 – 10 table). It offers more tips and tricks. You can print it out and save it.

On another note, ball pythons typically don’t soak in their bowls. Some do, but most don’t unless something is wrong. So just check to make sure the cage is not too warm, and that the snake does not have mites (a common cause for soaking). I hope this helps. Be patient.

hello,
I have a 3.5ft female royal python, she is active and i believe to be healthy, all the temps and humidity are constant.
About 2 months ago she stopped eating and she as always been a brilliant feeder, she will smell the frozen mouse but it seems as if she has forgotten how to snap feed. I do have another female royal in with her and they have been now for about a year, the other female eats every week without fail, do you think it is because its finishing winter time? just a little concerned as she has always eaten every week. many thanks

Hi, My girlfriend and I just purchased our first snake (Yay!) But we’re concerned because based on all of the research we’ve done beforehand. He seems underweight, he is very triangular, you can see his spine. The person at the pet store said he ate well. I’m worried he’s malnourished.

We have tried feeding him and he seems completely uninterested. Maybe it’s the recent move? I’m not sure how to proceed, or just wait it out? He’s not big enough to eat anything but hoppers or smaller.

Hi
My boyfriend and I bought a female ball python when she was around 2 she has a really great cage and great eating habits. But now she’s very weak and I’m so scared she might die we have no vets she is cold and won’t eat and we are so scarred what can i do please help

Hi. My ball python Ophelia isn’t eating and she won’t come out of her hide. She stopped eating about a month and a half ago, and has been staying in her hide for about a week now after my last attempt at feeding her. She seems healthy enough, the light/Temps seem ok. She doesn’t seem dehydrated. Any ideas? Thanks.

Hey Josh. Are you experiencing a seasonal change where you live? Is the weather cooling? It’s common for ball pythons to go off food when fall and winter come around, even though they are kept in a climate-controlled enclosure. What are your temperatures at ground level, on both sides of the cage? -Brandon

i have a 2/1/2 feet bp and he at befour he shed about to weeks ago and now he wont eat his temp at day time is 85 90 at night its 75 80 he has a hiding spot and hides during the day at night he roams his tank dont snapn hes a mellow python i hold him my kids hold him he just wont eat can some one help me i have several snakes

I have a female ball python that I have had since she was a hatchling. She is almost five foot now. I got her for my son as a birthday present 10 years ago. She has been a pretty regular feeder, a rodent every week to ten days. She eats live only. When I got her they said she ate only frozen, however she refused and after losing weight I figured I would allow her to hunt her prey as God had intended and poof..she snatched her food right up and she hasnt had issues since. About four years ago I moved to a colder state and she went on a 6 month long fast before eating again.. I made sure her environment was perfect but still she fasted. Two years ago I could no longer stand that bed bug infested hell hole so I burned mine and my kids things and moved back for a fresh start. She was 2 months into another fast when I moved back, but didnt worry to much since it was dead of winter anyways..however she tried to eat my daughters pinky toe one night..so I got her a rat. She killed and ate the rat then went back to her every week meal plan. Then almost a year in she quit again! Now its been 10 months, her environment is great, vet gives her a clean bill of health, she is active and “acts” like she wants to eat..she hunts and sometimes kills her prey, but she wont eat them. I tried the scenting it with gerbil which made her even more tempted, and switched to mice..but she just kills then slithers off. This recent mouse we got she has made friends with. She curls around it and NUZZLES it..WTH? and she keeps ..squeezing my arm over and over again..is she wanting a mate? I really dont want another snake but I get the sense she is “mating” with my arm? AND she still poops..she hasnt eaten but has pooped several at least 6 times since the 10 month fast.. she escaped once at the beginning of the fast and I am afraid she may have eaten my daughters escaped gerbil.. ideas?

You are discovering the joys of being a ball python keeper. They are one of the most unpredictable snakes when it comes to feeding. The good news is that a healthy specimen kept in ideal conditions will eventually start eating again, as you have experienced.

That’s interesting behavior that she kills the prey rodent but does not eat it. I’ve heard of that behavior before, but it’s not very common. She may be going through behavioral and diet changes as a result of reaching sexual maturity. At five feet, she is no doubt sexually mature now. I’ve receive a lot of emails from people whose ball pythons started to change eating habits at around age 2 or 3, when they hit maturity.

Just keep a close eye on any live rodents inside the cage. They can turn the tables and bite the snake, inflicting serious harm or even death.

Just curious: What are the temperatures at ground level inside the cage, on both sides? And does the snake have some good hiding places on both sides?

I have 3 ball pythons two of them are from the same clutch from the breeder we got them from the third is a pastel ball.the pastel and one of the normals from the same clutch eat once sometimes twice a week. The one other from the clutch we have only eaten once maybe twice sense we got them. She was originally a buddy of mines and she was kept in a 55 galop tank with 3 other snakes she only ate maybe once for him I believe. I got her probably about 3 to four weeks ago and she ate for us on thanksgiving day but would only eat a rat and it was right after she she’d I tried a mouse on the 4th and than a rat today on the 6th and she wouldn’t touch it. On one side of the tank I keep the temp consistantly around 90 on the other side is consistently around 80 and the humidity stays right in between 45 to 50 percent what can I do please help

Hi my name is Spencer. My sister bought her first house recently and she decided with her new job and all that she no longer had the time to take care of her ball python, so instead of letting her sell it, I adopted it. I realize now that this was much too complex an undertaking for me because I have minimal knowledge about snakes. He/She (I don’t know the gender, but I’m sure it’s a he) resides in an approximately 25 or so gallon tank, with a night/day lamp. Usual tank tempurature is 80 with the thermometer halfway up, and some good basking spots with a good basking light. He (I think) has been eating fine for probably about 4-5 months, although I could be a month or two off. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, but I can’t remember when I took him in. Anyway, I left for a 10 day christmas vacation, and the last time I fed him was a week prior to the start of this vacation, and it is now 3 or 4 days after the vacation. So it has been about 2 weeks since he last ate. I feed him adult fuzzy mice, always thawed in warm water. I tried to feed him the other day, but he didn’t show any interest in the mouse. I fear it may be because the tongs I use suck and sometimes the tail of the mouse slips out of the tongs, and the mouse falls and either lands on my snake or scares him. I gave up and thoroughly washed his tank and all the decorations, because I had not cleaned out the poop for little less than a month. Right as I was about to bathe him, he suddenly had what seemed like diarrhea. Some clearish, yellowish and then chunky liquid came out of his pooper, but it gave way to solid feces as quick as it had come. It looked as though towards the end, he was trying to push a poop out, but it was stuck halfway inbetween, and he gave up. The vibe I got was that he’s sick. I bathed him and put him in his spotless tank, turned the light on, but a little bit later took him back out and let him lay with me on an old towel before I went to bed (I put him back into his tank when I did go to bed). I tried to feed him again 2 days later, but he once again shows no interest. I fear he is sick, I fear he may be starving and have declining health, and I fear I am an ill-equipped, and ill-educated owner, but I want to improve enough to give him a good life. Please if someone can offer a solution, an answer, some light, I would appreciate more than you would know. Thank you and god bless.

this isn’t much about feeding or eating but I want to know how to keep my terrarium temps up bcause they’ll only get up to about 80 degrees but ive only had him three weeks and ive never had a snake before so I don’t know how to keep them up